The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1887-04-06

i've service in Mexico, ne had seen nothing
of army life but the barracks, the parade
ground, and the holds of transports. He
had tried his very best, he said. TO lean
his duty, and do it; but the life, SO far,
had been distasteful to him, and at times
he had been dreadfully homesck. He had
written to his parents from several places
TO tell them that he was we'll. and there he
smiled dolefully) contented but pride had
prevented him from telling them that he
had enlisted.
The young fellow was so different from all
the Others that as soon as | heard his story
/ warmed TO him. In my blunt way l told
him to keep up good heart and courage.
and that / would be his friend. pointed
out to him that five years, his term of en-
listment, would soon pass, leaving him still
a very young man, and with n stock of ex-
perence and discipline that would be of
the greatest value to him in his future
life
"As for your parents said, "you have
wronged tuem; first, by leaving home with
out their consent; second by deceiving them
as to your present situation. I'll ask Lieu
tenant Wilson for leave for you to go into
the cabin and use his writing materials,
and do you sit right down aud pen them a
long letter, telling them the whole truth,
and send it back to Galveston by the
steamer. And you may say, if you please,
that you have found one friend, and his
name is Sergeant Perry"
He grabbed my hand and wrung it hard
God bless you, Sergeant, he said. Il
have been hungering for some one to talk
TO me like this. l 1eel stronger already.
Yes, I'll do just as YOU say. Thank you,
ten thousand times"
We disembarked near the site of the
present town of Washington, and after
spending three days in camp. TO get all our
arrangements thoro ughly made for the
route, we started. Our habitual order of
march was, the wagons and ambulance III
the center, with column of fours III adj
vance and one at the rear. and hankers,
advance and rear guards we'll thrown out,
TO guard against surprise. At night the
camp was formed around the wagons, and
pickets were we'll posted. All this proved
TO me that our Lieutenant was thorough
soldier; but his own vigilance was untir-
ing. On half the nights of that march lie
went around himself, inspecting the pick
cts; and when he did not, / had bis orders
TO do 1t. AS we progressed further from
the settlements we saw occasional parties
of rowing Indians, but not in strong enough
force to cause rs any apprehension. They
would ride TO about three hundred yards of
our column, survey us attentively, and then
scamper off. Some of the men proposed
to try the range of their carbines on them,
but the Lieutenant sternly forbade any ex-
hibition of hostility unless We were actually
attacked.
/ had observed on the steamboat a man
dressed in the uniform of n Major on the
staff, and upon the march | saw that he
occupied the ambulance, never riding any
where else. He messed with the Lieutenant.
and several times on the route / saw the
! latter ride up 10 the ambulance, part the
curtains, and lean over his saddle as if
talking with the person inside. But the
Major never exercised any command, and
seemed to be merely n passenger. Several
! times l was asked by some of the men
what that officer was along for. My reply
always was that did not know; that / sup
posed he was stationed at the fort, and was
returning there and / usually added that
] it was none of their business. Not but
. that l felt quite as much curiosity about it
as they did, but military people rather like
! to snub their subordnates once in while,
you know.
One morning, when we had been on the
route for about two hours, Lieutenant Will
son came up to the head of the column and
asked me to ride ahead with him. We took
an easy gallop, and soon passed the
! advance guard, riding perhaps two hundred
yards beyond them before he brought his
horse TO a walk.
81 suppose this wouldn't ordinarily be
considered safe, he said; but, as you
know, we have seen no Indians for TWO
days, and l very much want to speak with
you where we cannot be overheard. Bymy
calculations it will be at least four days yet
before we can reach the fort, and my re-
sponsibility be at an end. 1t has been
weighing on me severely, Sergeant and
since YOU would be in command should /
be disabled, / think you ought to know the
whole truth about the service we are on. /
have talked sith the Major about il, and he
agrees with me. So I'll tell you. Haven't
you had any suspicion of the facts2"
No, sir-except that thought IL rather
strange that it was thought necessary to
send all this force six hundred miles merely
to escort one officer and three wagon loads
of provisions and stores.
"Why, of course that was not the real
object; and, considering what hard Gel